Page 36 of Call it Reckless

“You should go. Save yourself,” he muttered.

“What the hell, Deputy?” I looked over his shoulder, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

“Hello, Deputy,” I heard a high voice say, causing me to suck in a breath.

“You’re right. I should go.” I only took a step before I felt my wrist seized.

“On second thought, I could use a second to back me up.”

“This isn’t the eighteenth century, and this isn’t a duel,” I spat.

Reid’s eyes sparkled as mine tried to obliterate him with a scorching glare.

Beverly and Earl Seymour approached. Beverly had always been a force to be reckoned with. I knew from Emalee that she was now the town council chairwoman for the planning committee. She had a unique talent for roping people into her latest project. Behind her back, several citizens had even created a new verb: Beverly-ed. Emalee, had gotten Beverly-ed last spring and had to organize Derby Day. Fortunately for her, she wouldn’t get stuck with it again after the crazy incident that happened at the end. She wasn’t complaining.

However, instead of her very usual put together self I remembered, Beverly looked a little pale and had dark circles under her eyes.

I hadn’t seen either of them since my arrival in town, partly because any time I saw Beverly, I knew to head the other direction.

“Hello, Mr. And Mrs. Seymour,” I greeted.

“Oh, hello, Bristol. Welcome back,” Beverly answered, rather distractedly. Then, as if she remembered her manners, she added, “How are you, dear?”

“I’m great. I’m happy to be back.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” she said with a yawn, while her husband did the same.

Reid and I looked at each other, the same concern mirrored in each other’s eyes. Earl never spoke much—probably because he learned early on that there was little point as long as his wife was around.

“Everything well with you folks?” Reid asked.

Beverly yawned again. “I’ll be honest, Deputy. No. Those invaders are still there. Every single night.”

“Invaders?” I cast a sideways glance at Reid.

“Squirrels in the attic,” he whispered back, as Beverly carried on as if we hadn’t interrupted.

“Earl wanted to put poison up there, but I don’t want dead animals stinking up the house.”

Beverly told us how Earl had gone up on the roof and found a hole in the chimney that they must have been using as their doorway. He’d covered it up with a board, but later they heard the creatures again, and Earl found the wood had been scratched and gnawed until another hole was present. At that point, the lady from the animal control office said she should try soaking a sheet in ammonia and hang it in the chimney, along with a flashlight so it would seem like daylight all day.

“That smell made my eyes water for days, but it also didn’t deter those damn creatures.”

Reid’s eyes widened in surprise, and I knew why. Unless something had changed drastically in the years I was away, Beverly Seymour never uttered a curse word.

“Have you tried traps?” Reid suggested.

“The lady at Animal Control said they’d only catch the dumb ones,” Earl finally spoke up. “They’re smart critters, you know.” He tapped the side of his forehead with his finger.

“She suggested we play loud music to drive them out,” Beverly continued.

I had to know. “What kind of music did you play?”

She brightened. “Well, a beautiful album of Bach’s music. I figured if I had to listen to it, I should at least enjoy it.”

“Did it work?”

Her face fell. “No.”

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